Tales of Symphonia Two
by Numinor29
Summary: Three hundred years in the future, the world is mostly at peace. A young halfelf wants only to be left alone so he can train. Yeah... And when he's forcibly engaged to a princess and thrown into a war, he'll have to learn on the go just to survive. Please


Tales of Symphonia Two

A Fan Fiction by Numinor29

Summary: Trained by the two remaining Seraphim of Cruxis, born as a half-elf, and descendant of heroes, Gabriel Aurion was the very last person ever expected to be saving the world. No, that task was for his cousin. However, when two groups thought to no longer exist reappear, will heroes of the past be enough to stop them, or will their sacrifices mean nothing? And what the bloody hell is wrong with Gabriel's mother?

Warnings:

This story DOES contain: Probable nudity. Possible foul language. Blood, probable non-descriptive gore. Death.

This story does NOT contain: Lemon(s), shonen-ai, shojo-ai. Descriptive gore. Rape. Etc.

Disclaimer: Numinor29 does not own the copyrights to Tales of Symphonia. He does own the original characters. For information on suing him, please refer to his story 'Twists of Fate', chapter two, and the disclaimer there. Lawyers smell.

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TALES OF SYMPHONIA TWO - PART ONE

"It's the Chosen! The Chosen himself has come to visit!" a young boy said, running through my village. I groaned. The Chosen of my world, Mikal Ersin, was a cousin of mine and one of the people in this world I despised the most. There was no need for Chosen anymore, after the Last Chosen, Colette Brunel, had brought the worlds of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant back together into my home over three hundred years ago.

The tradition was kept alive, though, because it was thought to be a good way of remembering the mistakes of the past. It usually worked, but Mikal was the sort of person who basked in and used his glory and power to get the things he wanted. Namely, beautiful women.

I never figured out what they liked so much about him. Then again, most people _hated _me, so it wasn't very surprising that I couldn't figure it out. After all, I was a half-elf, and humans still resented our long lives. Of course, I was easily topping Mikal in combat; my instructors were married and had once been Seraphim of the Cruxis organization. Raphael and Lilian were not known to very many people, especially seeing as the _other _two Seraphim, Kratos and Yuan, were heroes from the ancient war and rather took the spotlight.

That being said, I spent most of my time training in the forest, hoping to see a friend who popped by occasionally. Ciara's… well, how should I put this… very interesting. However, there's no disputing the fact that she knows a lot of and about magic, so I really had no reason to complain.

"Gabriel!" Master Raphael called. Smiling slightly, I turned around and headed back towards our home in Luin, the City of Hope. And what a city it was; the place was now officially the largest town in existence besides Meltokio, which had been selected as the Capital City of the whole world. It wasn't like there was any _other _town with a castle, after all, so nobody was complaining. "Where have you been, boy?"

"Out practicing." I replied, snatching an apple from a basket on the table. "Mikal's come to town, probably trying to add a few more girls to his harem back in Meltokio."

"Gabriel!" Mistress Lilian said sharply. "It's extremely rude to speak of him that way." I shrugged. He was my cousin, and it's not like there was a better word to describe the group of girls that followed him almost everywhere. "Now, explain to me why you are better then him and should thus not insult him." I sighed, wondering once again how she knew what I was thinking.

"I am a half-elf, but this does not make me better then him. Nor does the fact that you two graciously made me into an angel like you." I let out my glowing, semi-transparent wings. "I am better then Mikal because I study and train hard every day to be the best I can be, rather then going around smiling for girls. I am better then him because in almost any contest, I would beat him. I should not make fun of that idiot because while I may be better then him, I actually have manners." Mistress Lilian's mouth twitched in amusement, signifying that I would get away with the joke on my cousin. I bit into the apple.

"Good boy. Now that we've gotten that straight, you should go say hi. He _is _family, after all, no matter how much of an evil womanizer he is." Mistress Lilian said. The door slammed open a moment later.

"Rest easy, Cousin Gabriel, for I have arrived!" Mikal said, striding gallantly into the room. I suppressed a sigh and thought as fast as I could, pulling in my wings. "What's with the gloomy look?" he asked.

"Well… It's not that I'm not happy to see you… It's just that I'm not happy to see you." I muttered. Mikal shrugged and looked around the house.

"So this is where you've been living? Why don't you come back home to Meltokio?" my cousin asked, raising an eyebrow. I just glared at him. "Hey, no need to glare at me like that! I'm here to deliver something!" he said, trying to defend himself. I didn't blink. "Sheesh… Sometimes you almost make me think you don't like me. Here." He said, handing me a letter. "Your mom says that you'd better be in Meltokio for your birthday two weeks from now, or she's going to do something evil." Mikal laughed and walked away, immediately surrounded by a crowd of fangirls. I paled slightly. When my mother was evil, she was **_EVIL_**.

Master Raphael snorted and firmly locked the door before sitting down.

"Now I understand what you meant when you said he was an arrogant, womanizing git." He said. "Insult him all you like, he deserves it." I shrugged and opened the letter.

_Dear Gabriel._

_As you are most likely not aware of, the King is holding a special contest for the noble houses two days before your birthday. You WILL be attending. The prize, you see, is marriage to the Princess. You WILL win this prize. After all, it's the perfect opportunity to make our family royal in name as well as in power. Not that it's not close already._

_Kisses and hugs, Mom_

_P.S. If you do NOT attend and/or win, I shall castrate you in the most painful way I determine to be possible. Then I shall gouge your eyes out and slice out your tongue._

I groaned.

"Bad news?" Mistress Lilian asked. I nodded and explained. "Oh, that's not so bad. I hear the princess is very energetic, and you'd probably go well together." I told her the post script. "…Oh."

"Your mother is… very determined to have you win…" Master Raphael said quietly. I nodded and folded the letter before moving over to the stairs. The sun was starting to set.

"Hey, I'm going to turn in early." I said quietly. "Looks like I have to go win myself a princess, and if I want to not endure unimaginable levels of agony, I have to set out tomorrow." I slowly began moving up the steps.

"You think you're going alone, kid?" Master Raphael asked. "Think again, and get back down here. I think the three of us working together will be quite sufficient to protect you from your mother's wrath." I laughed nervously and moved back into the main room. What followed was an almost ordinary evening, consisting of a delicious meal courtesy of Mistress Lilian, a lesson on fighting from Master Raphael (who, I must note, is a _real _master), and a before-bed snack of Creamed Ice, which was a cold, creamy substance that was all the rage among nobility.

Not that I actually cared about fads; all I cared about was if it tasted good or not. For the record, it definitely did.

And so, twelve days later, I found myself standing inside Meltokio Castle, garbed in the most ridiculous outfit I had ever worn.

"Mother, I am going to kill you." I whispered out of the side of my mouth. "You know I can't stand these sorts of clothes."

"Get over it." She replied. "This is a prime opportunity for you to prove your worth to this family. After all, it's not like you do much normally, since you spend months at a time training in that Luin city of yours." I sighed and rolled my eyes. The main doors opened a moment later, and King Zelos the Third stepped into the hall. He was wearing clothes more ridiculous then mine; they consisted of an obscenely long cape, silk trousers that would shred in an instant during combat, and a tunic puffed up with what was probably feathers. So many jewels decorated him that it was almost blinding when he stood in the light. I was very thankful that I had remembered to shade my eyes.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and especially young men, I bid you welcome to this year's Chosen Celebration! I'd like you to give a warm round of applause to Mikal Ersin!" King Zelos boomed out. Mikal stepped out onto a stage a moment later, to thunderous applause from everybody except me and my teachers.

"Hey, there, people! How's it going? Well, it's going great, now that I'm here! Now come on, let's party!" he yelled, to further applause.

"He looks so excellent!" my mother said, smiling widely. "Beat him and your auntie, Gabriel, and make me a queen!" I rolled my eyes, wondering how long this would take. Once the applause for my idiot cousin had died down, the King moved onto the stage and coughed to get everybody's attention.

"Now, as some of you are aware, this year we are having a special contest. The winner will receive one of the most sought after things in this kingdom, my daughter's hand in marriage! So please, put your hands together, for Princess Marin!" I raised an eyebrow as the curtains rolled aside to reveal the girl. The girl was blushing furiously, having been somehow forced to wear an elegant gown crimson and gold that did absolutely _nothing _to hide the features of her that most men cared about beyond making sure they weren't bare. Her red hair and bright golden eyes only enhanced the effect, which was to make her look gorgeous. It took less then a second for me to decide that somebody had been hired to design this scene to make her look as good as possible.

"Hmm… Cute girl." Master Raphael said, nodding in approval.

"…You're not helping." I said, one of my eyes twitching in irritation. "I don't want to marry her. I don't even _know _her, for crying out loud!"

"Now, of course, many of you are sure to be wondering what this contest—" the king began. He didn't get a chance to finish, because the doors burst open as a _big _group of bandits flooded into the room. "Guards!" the King yelled.

"Sorry, they're all sleeping!" the lead bandit replied. Most of the nobles began running for the other side of the room. "After them, guys!"

"I'm sorry…" Master Raphael said, sounding actually apologetic. "But I cannot allow you to do that." He moved in front of the bandit and drew his sword, a shimmering blade that I really wished I owned myself.

"Heh… So you want to fight, huh?" the bandit asked. He laughed, and he and a group of his buddies charges my master. I winced as they were slaughtered. My Master had over four thousand years of experience; they had ten at most. Mistress Lilian quickly and efficiently began taking down the bandits in the back of the room with her magic. I muttered something, pulled off my finery to reveal my normal clothes, and ran out to join them.

"_Sonic Thrust_!" I shouted, shoving my unsheathed blade forward. The bandit I was aiming for died in an instant as his heart was pierced.

"Your majesty!" Mikal said grandly, parrying the attacks of several soldiers. "Please, leave this to me, my cousin, and his servants!" My right eye twitched.

"MIKAL, GET OFF THE BLOODY STAGE? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE, A TARGET?" I yelled.

"Watch out!" Princess Marin yelled. I whirled around and beheaded a bandit who had been sneaking up on me. "Whew…" I looked at the blood on my clothes and sighed.

"Mother's going to kill me for dyeing these red." I muttered. Shrugging, I leapt back into the fray, fighting exactly as I had been taught. Several minutes later, it was all over, with every single one of the bandits killed. I had received a few small sword wounds so, ignoring all codes of decency, pulled off my shirt and began bandaging the wounds. My teachers were, naturally enough, unhurt. They were masters, after all, and puny warriors like the bandits were nothing compared to them.

There was a long moment of silence before a group of guards rushed in, weapons at the ready.

"There's no need to worry anymore, we're all fine." Master Raphael said, smiling. "King Zelos, perhaps we should move to another room. It will take a little while to clean this mess up, after all." The King nodded and we all hurried away.

"Why did you yell at me, Cousin?" Mikal asked, walking alongside me.

"Because you were acting like an idiot." I replied, glaring at him. "You'd have gotten killed if I hadn't distracted them." With that, I hurried to the front, wondering if I could stab him and make it look like an accident. I didn't get the chance, because suddenly Master Raphael pulled me into a side corridor.

"Boy, you did quite well out there." He said quietly. "Good job. You've still a ways to go, but…" I waited patiently. "Ah, whatever. I'll give it to you later." He laughed and pushed me into the crowd.

Ten minutes later, the whole crowd had gathered in a hastily rearranged dining hall to continue the party. The king looked around.

"Well, I was going to have a display of courage, but…" the King said. "I think that… barbaric… display showed who had the most courage in this room. Sorry, guys, but the winner of the contest is Mikal Ersin!" my mother gasped in indignation, and I swallowed nervously.

"Now hold on a minute!" the princess yelled, stalking over to her father. "He didn't do a thing other then parry a few knives! That guy over there was actually out there fighting!" she pointed at me. "If you're going to give me away like some trinket, at least give me to somebody more deserving then a dirty, womanizing, barbaric pervert!"

"Ooh, ouch." Mikal said, wincing. I smiled, my opinion of the princess shooting upwards. The King sighed, evidently giving in to the forceful demands of the Princess. My mother smiled very widely.

"Come here, boy!" the King said. I moved over to him, followed by my teachers. "Let's get this ceremony over with so we can party. Do you—"

"Hold it." Mistress Lilian said. I looked back, and noted that she had a mischievous look in her eyes. "He can't get married yet." The King raised an eyebrow. "You see, this boy is the apprentice of my husband and I. He may not get married, because we will not allow it. He must, at the very least, pass our tests satisfactorily before being allowed to do something like wed a girl." I slowly began smiling. My Mistress was giving me the perfect way out of this.

"But he has to get married! They don't have to live together until… Erm… This boy…"

"Gabriel Aurion." I supplied.

"Yes, that's it. Until he has finished his training." The King said, puffing himself up slightly. Master Raphael smiled thinly in a way that I know meant trouble. I nervously scooted a foot or two away from him. "There is no reason to delay the ceremony, none at all. Who are you two, anyways?" My teachers smiled and revealed their wings, to the shock of the onlookers.

"I am Raphael, one of the Four Seraphim of the old Cruxis Organization." Master Raphael said. "This is my wife, Lilian, also one of the Seraphim. We fought with Kratos and Yuan by the side of Mithos the Hero at the end of the Kharlan War." There was a stunned silence. "You are a human who is a King only because he was born into royalty. My favorite and only apprentice is not going to get married until I give my consent. Gabriel, let's go." He turned around. Shrugging, I began following.

"Wait." Princess Marin said. I turned and looked at her. "…I'm going with you." There was another stunned silence. "Quit looking at me like that, you idiot! I'm only sick and tired of hanging around this dumb castle all day, _that's_ why I'm going with you! Don't get any funny ideas!" Master Raphael began laughing.

"Well, if that is how she feels, then I suppose we have to bring her with us." He said, chortling.

"WHAT?" I yelled. "You can't be serious!"

"It'll be good for your character to have somebody else around." Mistress Lilian replied. I glared at all three of them, my teachers _and _the princess.

"You all suck, very badly." I said. "I'm going home."

"You can't go home!" my mother yelled, hurrying forward. Somebody laughed. "Your birthday is in two days!"

"I DON'T CARE!" I replied, storming out of the hall. Vexed more then I had been in some time, I walked straight out of the city in order to take a walk along the beach. It was a fairly warm night, the sort where walking was mildly pleasant, and with that in mind I took off my socks and shoes so I could walk along the edge of the ocean.

It wasn't very long before I came upon a source of mana that was a good deal greater then I encountered before. In fact, it took me almost five whole seconds to identify it.

"Undine." I said quietly. The source of mana turned, revealing to me that it was indeed the Summon Spirit who was before me.

"**Who are you, and what is your business with me?**" Undine asked coolly.

"I am Gabriel Aurion. I seek a pact with you—" I didn't even finish my sentence before a blast of water slammed into my chest and slammed me into a cliff. "Hey, what was that for?" I asked, sputtering.

"**You may possess the right of the pact, but you are not strong enough to form a pact with me.**" Undine said calmly, starting to move away. Scowling, I pulled out my blade and ran forward. Undine didn't even turn around; she merely pummeled me with a _Spread _spell, forcing me face-down into the sand. "**Give it up already.**" I scowled and staggered to my feet.

"Hey, you can't leave yet. I haven't finished fighting you." I said darkly. With that, I slid the tip of my sword across the ground in front of me fairly quickly. "_Demon Fang_!" a bolt of energy shot along the ground towards the Summon Spirit, who easily dodged it, turned around, and hit me with the flat side of her aquatic sword. I was sent to the ground _again_.

"**Why do you bother?**" Undine asked, pointing the tip of her sword at my throat. "**You and I both know that you are not nearly strong enough to defeat me on your own.**" I just whipped my blade up to move her weapon away from my throat and got to my feet.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are. I'm not stopping until I beat you and make a pact." I said stubbornly, pointing my blade at Undine.

"**Very well.**" She said, shrugging. "**Make your vow.**" I dropped my sword in shock.

"Just like that?"

"**Yes, just like that.**" Undine said. "**You're a hopeless fool, but you've got the potential to become a legend. Trust me, I know. Besides, if I don't like you, I claim the right to nullify our pact and move on to another.**" I thought for several moments, decided that I was getting a pretty darn good deal, and shrugged.

"All right, then. I vow that if there is somebody out there whom fate decides I need to protect, I will protect that person with my life." I said. Undine smiled.

"**An… unusual… pact, but I accept it. My power is yours. As with all of us, I grant you four powers. First, you may summon me to aid you in combat. I can both heal you and hurt your enemy. Secondly, you may use my power to give your weapon the attribute of Water. This is a spell you will know how to do when necessary. Third, I grant you the magic of Water. And lastly… Well, you'll find out if it's ever needed.**" She said, laughing slightly. The Maiden of the Mist vanished a moment later, and I felt power surge into my body.

"Nice…" I said quietly. "Thank you, Undine." I smiled, picked up and cleaned off my sword, and headed back towards town. The fight, even though I had been beaten so badly it was almost pitiful, had been fun enough that I was feeling much better.

Of course, I _looked _like I'd taken the beating I really had, which explained the reaction of my teachers, my apparent fiancée (ugh), and my family quite well when I went back into my home.

"Gabriel? What happened?" my mother shrieked.

"It's nothing." I replied dismissively. "I just got into a bit of a fight."

"…You look like you encountered a phenomenally powerful water mage." Master Raphael said. I swallowed nervously. He had no idea how close to the truth he was. "Ah, well, that's the second time you've been injured today. Go get Lilian to heal you properly." I nodded mutely and went up the stairs, knocking on the door of the room reserved for my teachers on the once every two years or so they were here.

"Come in!" my other teacher called. I opened the door, and found both her and Marin sitting on the bed, chatting. "Good grief, boy, what happened to you?" she shrieked, running over. Marin just raised an eyebrow.

I sighed and let myself be lead over to a stool, where Mistress Lilian quickly pulled off my soaking-wet shirt and began working healing magic on the bruises I had received. The fact that I was, technically, half-naked in front of my fiancée didn't really bother me. After all, I was only exposed _above _my waist.

"So, you idiot, what happened?" Marin asked, sounding rather bored.

"I got into a fight." I replied, shrugging. "Oh, Mistress Lilian, I can do water magic now." My teacher looked at me curiously. "I was, um, given the power to do so by my opponent." She laughed and applied a paste to my bruises. Healing magic was only useful on serious damage; bruises were best cured by creams and ointments. Once what felt like a gallon of the stuff was on, I was allowed to wrap my chest in bandages.

Marin sighed and jumped off of the bed.

"Well, I'm gonna go to bed now." She said, stretching. "Lilian, thanks for letting me stay with you guys. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem. I'm sure you'll be wonderful company for Gabriel." She replied. Marin and I rolled our eyes, and the flame-haired girl moved out of the room a moment later. "Well?"

"She seems to be a little excitable, and I suppose her body's decent enough… Why?"

"No, Gabriel, I meant about whether you like her or not." My Mistress replied patiently.

"I barely know her. How can you expect me to answer a question like that?" I replied, smoothly evading her queries. Another smile tugged on the edges of her lips as I rolled up my shirt and tucked it under my left arm. "I think I'll turn in too. We've got a lot to do tomorrow if we want to get out of here before my mother has her way." I smiled and walked out of the room, stretching as I moved over to my own chambers. The room was, of course, as luxurious as my mother could possibly make it. I figured she was in a good mood, since I'd more-or-less done what she wanted, but pressing my luck wasn't something I was planning on doing just yet. I was asleep in under a second once my head hit my pillow.

The very next morning, I awoke to see five faces, two of which were very familiar, one which I was under the nervous impression was rapidly becoming familiar, and two I hadn't seen in quite some time.

"Hi, Gabe!" an eight-year-old half elf girl said, jumping into my arms so she could give me a hug. I laughed and hugged her back.

"Heya, Mary." I said, greeting my little sister. "Have you been a good girl while I've been gone?"

"Yup!" she replied, beaming. "I brush my teeth, do my lessons, and sneak in fighting classes when mother's not paying attention!" I laughed and ruffled her hair, really feeling glad to see her.

"So, Gabriel, why aren't you already packed?" the other face asked. I looked over at Ryu, a friend of mine from the village of Mizuho. He was the one who had taught me how to summon spirits in the first place, on the off-chance I ever met one.

"Hey, I only woke up a minute ago." I replied, glaring at him. Ryu laughed as Mary grabbed my collar.

"You can't leave! You just got here, and your birthday's tomorrow!" the girl protested. I was reminded, once again, that she was _far _sharper then she seemed to be. "Mother'll have your brain for dinner if you don't stay!" I laughed and sat up.

"Relax, squirt, I'll be fine." I said. Marin muttered something. "What was that?"

"NOTHING!" the girl yelled. "Mind your own business!" she stormed out of the room. I raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and moved off of the bed, with my little sister still clinging to my neck. Mary dropped lightly to the ground a moment later.

"She was worried, you know." Master Raphael said. "She was freaking out after you got all of those wounds. What _were _you doing, anyways?"

"Mary, go bug Mother." I said. "I need this to be private." The girl stuck her tongue out at me and hurried off. "I made a contract with Undine last night."

"You're strong enough to beat a Summon Spirit all by yourself?" Master Raphael asked, impressed.

"Of course not. She kicked my butt." I replied, grumbling slightly. "But I kept getting up to keep fighting, so she finally decided to let me make a pact with her."

"Yes!" Ryu said. "My training of you has finally paid off!" I smirked.

"I only got the power because she was nice. If she wasn't, I'd probably be lying bloody and unconscious on the beach right now." I replied. Ryu sighed and snapped his fingers. "Yeah… Anyways, that's how I got hurt. She kept pummeling me with all of these water techs and whatnot. I've got a long ways to go before I'm actually strong enough to fight anybody besides Efreet."

"But he's a lot stronger then Undine is. No offense meant." Ryu pointed out, sounding confused.

"Yeah, but Undine is water, and everybody knows water beats fire." I replied, grabbing a pear from the bowl of fruit next to my bead and biting into it. "So ya shee, I could figh' 'im with a decen' chance of winning 'n sthuff." I swallowed. "And if I did that, then I'd have both on my side, right? That would be _excellent_." Ryu nodded rapidly. An instant later, there was a deafening blast of noise from the direction of the city gates. The four of us hurried over to the window and watched as troops began entering the city.

"Raph…" Mistress Lilian said slowly. "Those are Desian uniforms." I blinked.

"Weren't the Desians the group under the control of your old friend, Mithos Yggdrasill?" I asked curiously. Both of my teachers nodded. "And weren't they disbanded?" the two nodded again.

"Pronyma." Master Raphael said suddenly. "I recognize her… She should be dead."

"…Gabriel, Ryu, stay here." Mistress Lilian said, moving over to the door with Master Raphael. "If they're going to cause trouble, we have a responsibility to put a stop to it. This is our fight." The two of them spread their wings and hurried out. Ryu looked at me.

"Well?" he asked. I thought for a moment.

"There's no doubt they'll win." I said, nodding. "So I'll protect this household. I think I can handle that much, at least. If needed, well… I _do _have a Summon Spirit now." I smiled slightly. Ryu nodded. Five minutes later, the two of us were standing in the entrance hall. The members of my family, and Marin, were all watching us from the balcony above.

Five minutes passed before the door burst open and four Desian Soldiers hurried in. I smirked. One of the abilities I had learned through intensive training was Manasight, a special technique that allowed me to not only see the strength of mana, but what element it was. There was no offensive use for it, really, but when it came to fighting with the elements the ability was top-notch. All four of the soldiers were 'Fire', and that meant one thing.

"_Sylva Seal: Water_!" I shouted, placing two fingers on my blade. Water surrounded my blade almost instantly. "Heh… Well, Ryu? Two each?" Ryu nodded, and the two of us charged forward. My blade cut cleanly through my two opponents, killing them in seconds. Ryu took only a few moments longer. "Heh… Well, that was easy." I said as the water around my sword vanished.

We looked out the door. The streets were filled with Desian corpses. The City Guard had already formed ranks, and were battling any Desians left over from my teacher's attacks. I whistled in awe. I knew that as two of the Seraphim, they were good, but watching them fight made them seem almost unreal. The soldiers couldn't touch them. Shrugging, I hurried outside, leaving Ryu to guard the house. Mindful of my orders, I stayed out of the way, only moving close enough to hear any conversation that was taking place.

"Damn." The one Master Raphael called Pronyma said as by instructors approached her. "I didn't think you two would be here, much less fighting against us."

"Pronyma, the Desians are over." Master Rapahel said, pointing his sword at her. "Stop this madness now. All that will happen is more of our kind will die. Is that really what you want?" Pronyma scowled.

"You don't know, do you? The half-elves MUST take control of this world, and now!" she spat out. "You win for today, but next time we attack, it will be your death if you oppose us! All troops! Retreat!" she yelled. Instantly, her remaining soldiers turned and fled. I moved out onto the street to get a better view. "Heh…" she said, pointing a hand at me. A bolt of fire lanced out. Before I could do anything, a shield of water appeared and blocked the blow.

"**You need to learn some defensive techniques.**" Undine's voice said, sounding amused.

"…Thanks…" I muttered, knowing that I wasn't lying on the ground dead only because she'd intervened and saved me.

"**No problem.**"

I sighed and watched as Pronyma glared at me and hurried off. She wasn't going to try anything else on me, it seemed, and that was just as well. I was still rather hurt from the pummeling I had received the night before.

"Gabriel… I told you to stay where you were." Mistress Lilian said, one of her eyes twitching in anger. "Why did you disobey me?"

"Because I beat the Desians who came into my home, and I wanted to hear what was going on with you." I replied. Master Raphael laughed and moved over to me.

"Good boy." He said, ruffling my hair.

"Raph!"

"You should never be afraid to move into danger, Lil." Master Raphael replied, smiling. "Fear will only get you killed. He was skilled enough to defeat normal soldiers, and he wanted information. I'd've done the same thing were I in his shoes."

"Well, yeah, but that's you…" Mistress Lilian muttered. "Whatever. Gabriel, go back your things before something else happens; we're going home with that girl of yours."

"WHADDAYA MEAN 'THAT GIRL OF MINE'? I HARDLY EVEN KNOW HER!" I yelled.

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Oy, you there. Yes, I'm talking to you, and I know you're reading this. Click that little button down there. If you took the time to read all the way here, then you should tell me what you think about this story. What's good, what's bad, if I made Gabriel average enough to not be a Gary Stu… That kind of thing. After all, if you like this fan fic, constructive feedback is the best way to improve the story. It only takes a minute or two to give some feedback, and it's worth the time since I need reviews!

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